Nearly 100 British universities offer postgraduate business programmes, making it one of the world’s largest markets for postgraduate business study. In addition to its size, the British market includes a very wide range of programmes.
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Most UK business master’s programmes are one year in length (as is typical for UK master’s programmes in general). Especially in the more technical subjects, candidates are expected to have substantial experience of the subject at the undergraduate level. Those who do not may need to do a preliminary year – which often leads to a diploma – before being allowed to tackle the actual master’s degree course. Such a preliminary year is ordinarily done at the same university as the master’s degree course, although nothing prevents a student from doing the two years at different institutions.
Tuition fees vary according to both the length and prestige of the programme. Some programmes charge as little as several thousand pounds, whereas tuition fees for the Master’s in Finance at London Business School are £29,700.
The cost of living in the UK is generally quite high, especially in London and the southeast. Expect to pay between £800 (in small, northern cities) and £1,500–£2,000 (in London) per month.
Top ten reasons to be a postgraduate student in London.
The British Council website includes a comprehensive listing of scholarships offered by each UK university.
Applicants are also advised to consider applying for Chevening Scholarships, which provide funding to overseas students for study in the UK. Over 2,000 new scholarships are offered each year for postgraduate study in the UK.
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan targets high-promise students from Commonwealth countries.
Students from the European Union and European Economic Area are permitted to work freely in the UK. International students from elsewhere are generally permitted to work up to 20 hours per week during terms and freely during vacations.
Upon completion of their degree, international students may apply via the International Graduate Scheme for a visa that permits them to work in the UK for up to 12 months without a sponsoring employer. The Highly Skilled Migrants Programme is available for those looking to stay for two or more years.
Note that both these schemes have been replaced: the International Graduates Scheme by the Tier 1 – Graduate Students – Post Study Work sub-category and the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme by the Tier 1 (General) sub-category of the first tier in the UK's new five-tier points-based immigration system. See www.workpermit.com/uk/uk.htm for more information about it.
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Search for the perfect pre-experience postgraduate business programme for you using our course search. You can search a database of programmes on offer at European institutions by country, subject and study mode.
You can also find out more about the universities and colleges offering the courses using the A–Z institution listing.
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The ancient universities, such as Cambridge and Oxford, are famed for using tutorials to teach undergraduates. Most UK postgraduate business programmes, however, rely on a combination of lectures, case studies, simulations, and the rest of the usual business instruction toolkit. More often than in most other countries, though, professors may provide a lengthier list of possible readings than students can manage, expecting each student to pick and choose what will best fit his or her interests and needs.
British universities offer a wide range of student clubs and other organisations. In addition, many universities provide student cafés and pubs (the latter of which are surprisingly central to British student life).
Various British broadsheet newspapers rank universities overall and by subject. Consult:
• The Guardian.
• The Times.
• The Sunday Times. Despite being available on the same website, these rankings are separate from those of The Times.
Look at our rankings section, or for more about rankings, consult both the UK ‘Reputation’ section (immediately below) and the ‘Rankings’ discussion, particularly regarding The Financial Times’ rankings of European (including UK) master’s programmes.
Various organisations assess and rate the quality of university courses. The Teaching Quality Information website highlights the audits of teaching quality. The Research Assessment Exercise does the same for research quality. (The Quality Assurance Agency, similarly, audits university educational quality.) Partially as a result of this external scrutiny, no doubt, British degrees are generally regarded as being of very high quality. Of course, those from the most famous of institutions, such as the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), tend to be more highly regarded than are those from unknown schools.
Positives Negatives
Wide range of programmes (and schools) available. Many programmes are expensive.
Able to work while studying. Some programmes have few Britons.
Degrees enjoy good international reputation. Living costs are generally high.
Generally easy to work in the UK for a year after graduation.
